GOEHRING NAMED TO BIOTECH AND 21ST CENTURY AG COMMITTEE

BISMARCK – Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring has been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21).

“This advisory committee will come together to continue investigating the challenges of coexistence among different forms of agricultural production,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “I hope this committee will recommend workable solutions that will enhance the ability of all farmers to grow the crops they want in order to effectively meet the needs of their customers.”

Vilsack announced his selections for the advisory committee Friday. The committee includes 22 members from 16 states, representing the biotechnology industry, the organic food industry, farming communities, the seed industry, food manufacturers, state government, consumer and community development groups, the medical profession and academic researchers.

Goehring said he was honored by the appointment.

“Coexistence among producers, especially those who advocate the use of biotechnology and those who support organic production, is something we must achieve if the U.S. is to increase its food production to meet growing world demand,” he said. “I believe that new risk management tools could be developed to address potential concerns.”

A third generation farmer, Goehring operates a 2,000-acre, no-till farm near Menoken in south central North Dakota, where he raises corn, soybeans, spring wheat, field peas, sunflowers, canola, winter wheat and alfalfa. The former vice president of the North Dakota Farm Bureau, Goehring chairs the Biotechnology Task Force of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and is secretary-treasurer of the Midwest Association of State Departments of Agriculture.